Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s campaign accused Meta of election interference after his social media posts faced restrictions. The campaign claimed technical issues limited his reach before the October 25 runoff. Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court gave Meta 48 hours to explain these irregularities, though the company rejected the allegations.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's campaign has accused Meta of interfering in the country's election after alleging that his social media content was restricted on the company's platforms.
Meta has rejected the charges, calling them false and saying they are not supported by facts.
The controversy comes ahead of the October 25 presidential runoff, in which Lula is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term. He will face Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who finished ahead of Lula in the first round of voting last Sunday.
Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) has given Meta 48 hours to explain whether it reduced the reach of posts linked to Lula's campaign and to address the reported irregularities.
Lula's campaign alleges restrictions on Instagram
In a statement on Saturday, Lula's campaign claimed that several technical issues had affected the visibility of his content on Meta-owned platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.
It alleged that Meta had prevented Lula's profile from promoting posts on Instagram in recent days.
The campaign also reported an interruption in the view counts of a post shared through his official account, saying the issue had affected its reach.
The campaign further claimed that, before the first round of voting, the Instagram profiles of Lula and other left-wing leaders had suddenly disappeared from the platform's search function.
It said the reported incidents raised serious suspicions that Meta's actions could amount to an attempt to influence the electoral process in favour of Flavio Bolsonaro.
Lula's campaign has filed a formal complaint with the electoral court over the alleged restrictions.
Electoral court seeks answers from Meta
The TSE has asked Meta to provide details of the measures applied to Lula's official accounts, including an account-by-account report of any restrictions.
The court has also directed the company to explain the reported irregularities in video metrics, which the campaign says affected the visibility of its content.
The intervention comes as Brazil enters the final phase of a closely watched presidential contest, with social media playing an important role in reaching voters.
Meta rejects allegations of election interference
Meta's Brazil office has denied the allegations, describing them as false and disputing the claim that the reported problems targeted Lula's campaign.
According to an AFP report, the company said several of the technical issues mentioned were not limited to Brazil or specific accounts.
Meta also said it follows electoral regulations and is committed to ensuring a level playing field for users of its platforms.
After the first round of voting, Lula launched a fresh social media campaign featuring videos in which he addresses his online followers. The push comes as he seeks to strengthen his support before the October 25 runoff. Lula does not use a mobile phone.